Instamatic

The first model released in the US was basic the Instamatic 100 model. With fixed shutter speed, aperture and focus, it continued the tradition of Kodak, initiated by their N° 1 and later Brownie models, of providing simple to use snapshot cameras for everybody. The even more basic Instamatic 50, without no built-in flash, had been released in the UK a couple of weeks earlier. A few of other models soon followed, including the 400 which featured a clockwork automatic film advance and automatic exposure bsaed on a selenium light meter, and the aluminum chassis 800 with rangefiner based focus in addition to clockwork winding and light meter.

The Instamatic was an instant success; more than 50 million Instamatic cameras were produced between 1963 and 1970.

In 1965 came the four exposure flash cubes, the cameras so equipped identifiable by 4 being added to the model number (the 100 became the 104 etc.). The Magicube came in 1970, each bulb featuring a mechanically triggered pyrotechnic detonator, thus avoiding the requirement for batteries. Models equipped for these cubes have a X suffix.

Then, in 1972, came the miniature Pocket Instamatic using a smaller, but similar 110 film cartridge. More than 25 million cameras were produced in under three years.

External link

• Kodak & Hawkeye 126 Instamatic Cameras (http://user.itl.net/~kypfer/126film.htm)